The Winter Spirit of Berk
by Yumi-Floppy-Usagi
Summary: Long before Jack Frost became a Guardian, and fought alongside the other Guardians of Childhood against Pitch Black, long before he had discovered who he was, he was simply a winter spirit, determined to do the only thing that he knew. Bring Winter. But a certain boy from Berk that rides around on Dragons all day may have other plans for his starving village. HTTYD/ROTG Crossover.
1. Prologue

Jack stood facing Pitch on a huge glacier facing the sun. He glanced to his side at the enormous pillar of frozen, black sand that the both of them had created unintentionally in their clash not too long ago. It stretched high and menacing into the sky, the darkness and the cold blended perfectly into a terrible result. He turned back to the Bogeyman, glaring in resentment.

"Look what we can accomplish together, Jack!" He shouted, gesturing towards the spiky, dark column that seemed to radiate evil. "What goes together better than cold, and dark!"

He did have a point there. After all, darkness and cold were the first two things he remembered. All those centuries ago. He was brought into this world in darkness.

But that wasn't what he was. He was bright, and a good person. Even if no one believed in him. This, he knew for absolute certain. And he wasn't about to abandon the other Guardians. They needed him.

"Join me, Jack. You've seen what we can do. Together we'll be unstoppable!" Pitch rattled on and on. "Together, we can MAKE everyone believe in us! All over the world, everyone will know the names, Pitch Black! And Jack Frost. They'll ALL know. Don't you want to be _believed_ in?"

His words reminded Jack of a time so long ago, when he was just 212 years old. A time when superstition and fear were abundant. The very first time someone was able to see him. He had learned from a certain boy, in a certain village, that being feared, was not the same as being believed in.

"No." He said, staring back up at Pitch, his eyes stern with memory. "No, they'll fear us. And that's not what I want."


	2. The Winter Spirit of Berk

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was speeding gracefully through the skies on his best friend's back. Good thing his best friend was a dragon. Toothless's dark scales reflected the sparkling water beneath him as he skimmed just above its surface. He gave numerous dragon grunts and barks of appreciation, whizzing around joyfully like a Viking in a blacksmith's forge.

Unfortunately his rider didn't share his enthusiasm for their afternoon fly. Usually he felt so hyped up to go flying with Toothless, ready to forget the world and its troubles and just enjoy the salty air in his hair, and the sight of the land below him flying by as if no-one could even see him.

But something was bugging him especially today. It all started when his father had decided to give him an 'important talk' just before he took off, except those usually just turn into awkward exchanges in which barely any words are actually said, and thumbs are twiddled in abundance. Not to mention Stoik's constant reference to their gods, that didn't really seem to help.

But Hiccup had understood the gist of what his father was trying to help him understand. He had said that after everything with the dragons, and Hiccup proving himself to be not only a Viking, but a real hero amongst the villagers, that he had consequently re-inherited the duty of becoming village leader in the future. Not that Stoik wasn't in "tip-top condition" as Gobber had put it, but, ya know, "just in case", as Stoik had put it.

But Hiccup already knew this. To be honest he was shocked that he had ever been taken OFF the register for the next village leader. That wasn't what had him so caught up.

It was the fact that Winter was almost here. As he thought this, a chilly draft blew over him, and he shivered. it was not far off now. And with all the problems with the dragons that had only been solved about a month ago, they only had another week or so before the reality of Winter in all its terror would be felt, and they had barely gathered enough food to last them.

Because Winters in Berk were the worst in the world. He couldn't know this for sure, Berk and it's immediate surroundings being the only place he's ever known, but he had heard stories from travelling merchants and traders that crossed the seas from other lands to trade materials. All said they wouldn't dare tread near this accursed place in winter. It would be like suicide. After all, in Berk, it snowed most of the year.

Hiccup was ultimately worried about the safety and security of the village, especially now that he was going to become the village leader someday. It was his job to figure something out. It was true that hunting and gathering food would be a lot easier now with the help of the dragons, but still, he was sceptical even that would be enough to prevent the village from starving during the long winter to come. Again, he felt that foreboding chill, and shivered once more.

His heavy thoughts were interrupted as Toothless suddenly began acting really strangely. He kept staring at something to his left, but when Hiccup looked, there was only open air. Had he seen a bird?

Suddenly Toothless whirled around like a maniac, as if playing with some kind of invisible creature. He clawed and the empty air with playful grunts. Hiccup could barely keep up.

"Toothless! Slow down, you'll send us crashing!"

But all Toothless did was look back at him expectedly, gesturing to something that Hiccup obviously couldn't see.

Then he stopped. Abruptedly and without warning, in the middle of the sky. Hiccup nearly flew over his head and into the ocean below. Toothless hovered like a playful dog that had just fetched a stick, and was waiting for it to be thrown again.

And apparently, someone, or something, HAD thrown the stick again. Toothless took off at lightning speed. Hiccup held on for dear life, desperately trying to keep his artificial tail flap in line with his organic one.

Hiccup had had enough. He halted Toothless and turned him around. The Nightfury gave him a disappointed glare, his cat-like pupils dilating completely.

"Well that's what you get for acting so weird. You nearly killed us!" He said back. Toothless merely complied, flying casually back down to the village.

Hiccup looked back over his shoulder at the empty sky behind them, wondering what had made Toothless so rowdy. But all he saw was clouds, painted orange with the setting sun.

It was getting late. Whatever that thing was, it was gone now.

He landed gracefully beside the dragon's shed. He unhooked all the straps and ropes around Toothless's neck and back, and said goodnight. Then he hurried inside, with every intent of grabbing a woollen jacket to put on. It was getting very cold.

* * *

It was that time of year again. Winter. The time for Jack Frost, the bringer of blizzards and snow to circulate from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. And bring with him the seasonal chill. How did he know it was time? The moon told him so.

It was about the only thing he ever told him. That along with his name. The moon hadn't even told Jack his purpose for being in existence. He had to figure that out himself.

But he was glad for this, at least. The half-yearly reminder of all the little people who were expecting white snow to entrench the land. It was how he knew how old he was, too. This year he turned 212 years old. He had turned Autumn into Winter 424 times, including both hemispheres.

As he commanded the wind at his will, and sped towards the higher continents to do his job, he wondered. He had been doing exactly what the Man in the Moon had asked of him for 212 years now. Would he ever be rewarded? Would he ever get any of his millions of questions answered? Would he ever be seen, or touched, or acknowledged by anyone?

Usually he couldn't stand to dwell on these questions for too long. It just made him tired, and sad, and lonely. He tried to focus of the task at hand, and sped just that much faster towards his destination.

Ah, here we are. The first continent to be 'Winterfied' this year.

He looked down at the lush green land below him. It was around here that Jack had seen dragons flying around last year. He didn't even know they were real, to be honest. But then again, he was a 212 year old invisible teenager. He wasn't really in a position to question anything. He also noticed that the little village was having a bit of a falling out with them, too. He wondered if they had solved that yet, or not.

He freefell towards the land, the still fairly warm air whipping his icy skin, and tangling his snow white hair. He breathed foggy mist as the chilled air in his lungs hit the afternoon warmth. He still wore the brown cloak he woke up in those two centuries ago. Even though he never actually felt cold. He held his staff in front of him as he prepared to slow down. The ocean was rushing to meet him fairly quickly. The setting sun glittered on the surface. That night he would have to start getting to work. There was a lot of ground to cover. Literally.

He slowed down, commanding the wind to hold his steady. When all of a sudden he was whisked out of his hover by an unknown flying object that had hurtled past him at a million miles an hour. He shouted in alarm. He had never seen anything fly so fast. It just looked like a black blur. He righted himself, and stared after the thing. He saw it was a dragon. A completely black, incredibly fast dragon. It was already a tiny dot in the distance.

He couldn't resist. He waved his staff, the wind complied. He sped after the flying reptile as fast as he could, gaining speed on it. His eyes glittered with interest. He'd never actually been so close to one before. He came up to its flank, the dragon still speeding so amazingly fast.

Then he saw, the jet-like dragon actually had someone on its back! Had it caught them for a meal? No, they were strapped in. He saw that it was a kid, not much younger than he looked. He guessed the crazy Vikings that lived in that village had managed to settle things with the dragons after all.

He finally gained enough speed to fly alongside the black dragon. He knew neither of the flying dare devils would see him. He sped casually along, taking in the sight of the magnificent beast.

However, the dragon suddenly started acting weird. It turned its head, and seemed to be looking right at him. And when it spotted him, it barked and grunted like a domestic animal. As if it could actually see him.

As if it could actually see him.

The dragon could see him.

He was being seen.

He stopped mid-air. He couldn't help but stare pointlessly at the dragon as it also stopped, following his movements. Its rider was frazzled. Obviously HE couldn't see him.

But the dragon so obviously could. It was whirling around him, as if it wanted to play.

Jack was so overwhelmed with emotion. He could barely contain himself. But he didn't want to frighten the creature off. So he stayed as calm as he could.

He moved slightly. The dragon followed. He moved again, a bit more radically, the dragon got hyped up, and followed. He let out a childish chuckle. He had never been so happy.

He began flying around, the dragon chasing him like a puppy. He laughed like a maniac and the dragon yelped.

"Toothless! Slow down, you'll send us crashing!" The kid on its back shouted. He had forgotten about him.

Jack stopped playing with the dragon, and turned around. It seemed to be trying to convince its rider that I was here. Futile attempt. He thought. That kid will never be able to see me.

The rider looked around them, seeing nothing but empty sky.

Jack couldn't help himself. He had to make the most of this chance. He may never be seen or acknowledged by anyone else ever again. He got the dragon's attention by waving his staff around, before throwing it into open air. The dragon whizzed to catch it, then it stopped, holding it in its mouth, waiting for Jack to throw it again.

So he did. He threw it further this time, and the dragon shot off to catch it.

But the rider stopped him, and turned him around in the other direction, before he had the chance to catch it. Jack panicked. He couldn't command the wind without his staff.

Probably should have thought this through...Was his last thought as he started plunging down into the ocean. He felt himself become engulfed by the surging water. He desperately clawed the liquid to reach the surface.

When he did, he gasped, and looked around heedlessly for his staff. Luckily it was floating nearby. He swam for it, grabbed it, and instantly froze the water beneath his feet, pulling himself up and out.

He stood up, panting. His breath still icy mist. Despite being completely entrenched in salt from the salt water, the ice all over his body and his staff was unmelted. He stared emotionless down at himself, his dark brown coat tattered all over, and still covered in ice and snowflakes. His bare feet looking so pale, almost transparent against the ice he was standing on.

what was he supposed to do now? Just go back to his job, sad and completely and utterly alone, despite knowing what he knew now? That it was actually possible for other people, or animals, to see him? There was no way he could go on without finding out more from this dragon.

He looked up, just in time to spot the black dot headed for the little village he had seen earlier. His brows furrowed, his eyes grew stern. This could be his chance to find out who he is.

If the dragon could see him, there was nothing to say that people couldn't. He had to try. It was all he had.

He flicked his staff, and brought a strong updraft that carried him straight to the village, to Berk.

Winter would have to wait.


	3. Two Tales Merge

The mischievous winter spirit watched conspicuously outside the dragon rider's house, from behind the peak of the roof of a neighbouring house. Somehow he had managed to follow the kid home despite his dragon's phenomenal speed. He knew that he would never be seen by any of the members of this tiny Viking village, but there was always that slim chance nibbling at his neck...And if that was true, he needed to break his presence to this kid slowly, otherwise he might end up scaring him off, or maybe even cause the whole village to come at him with pitchforks and torches. Yes, patience would be key.

He watched the tiny Viking wander up the slight incline to his front door, all the while shivering and rubbing his forearms. He wondered if it was his presence causing this chill despite the fact that Winter hadn't even arrived yet.

If that was the case, maybe this would assist him even more in getting the kid to notice him.

He watched the kid enter his house. But before he could shut the door tight behind him, there was a loud roar coming from the dragon shed next door. The young Viking poked his head out, and shouted: "Yes, I know! We'll talk about it tomorrow! Goodnight Toothless!"

Just who in the world was he talking to?

There was another grunt from the shed in reply. Then it hit Jack.

His dragon! He was able to communicate with it somehow! And for some reason, he had named it Toothless, when clearly it had a fine set of flesh-tearing dragon teeth.

Jack thought for a moment. This could work out very well for him. He had just found a way to communicate with the only creature in the known world that could see him. If he could get this kid to translate what Toothless is saying, maybe he could figure out a way to be seen by everyone! including other people!

But that kid had said 'Goodnight'. He couldn't wait until morning!

Quickly he devised a plan, and hopped down from the frosty rooftop. He checked to see if anyone was around, before treading lightly towards the dragon shed. He opened the metal door a tad, and peeped inside.

The massive black dragon was lying in a neat ball, its disfigured tail draped across it's legs, its head resting in-between it's forelegs. It looked quite comfortable.

Well, he's about to be un-comfortable.

* * *

Hiccup was sitting all cosy by the fire, finally able to warm himself up. He pulled his one boot off, and held his freezing toes in front of the welcome flames. His prosthetic leg lay lifeless on the floor. Why was it so cold? Winter hasn't even started yet. Nevertheless he pulled off his fur boots and grabbed a blanket to drape around himself, before opening his sketch book, and flipping through his previous drawings.

It was then that there was a massive thumping at the door. With a groan like a dying animal he stood up, bare foot, and walked over to the door.

"Coming, coming." He said with a sigh.

As soon as he opened the door he was met with a cold blast of wind like nothing he'd ever felt before. He winced and screwed his eyes shut as it passed over him and blew straight into his house. It felt like an avalanche had just barged into his house.

When it died down, and he was finally able to open his eyes, teeth chattering and nose already running, he saw Toothless standing there, thumping his head against the wood wall of his house.

"Toothless...that was you? Who let you out of the shed?" He poked his head around the wall to see the shed and its doors gaping wide open.

"I froze my butt off for nothing." He said. Then he noticed Toothless too was shivering. "Oh, you were just cold? You should've said so earlier."

The Nightfury put on the cutest puppy face he could. Hiccup sighed.

"Fine, you can come in. But Dad will probably kick you out again when he gets home."

Toothless barked and hopped inside, before straight away curling up in front of the fire. Hiccup moved to join him, and sat leaning his back against him like a chair. They both got comfortable, before Toothless lifted his head up and turned to look behind him.

"Toothless?" Hiccup started, wondering what he was looking at.

Then the dragon was talking, well, dragon talking. Hiccup's heart skipped a beat.

'That thing that was making him act so weird today...is it back?' He thought to himself. He craned his neck to look over Toothless's body at the rest of the room behind them. But it was as empty of life as a graveyard. Hiccup sighed once again, slowing his thumping heart, and smacked the dragon's thick hide.

"Toothless, stop freaking me out." He said. "I didn't even know it was possible for dragons to go crazy."

Then Toothless moved from behind him and Hiccup fell backwards, his chair no longer supporting his back. He hit the floor with a thump, and grumbled.

"Dang it, what are you-" He turned, only to see Toothless playing and prancing around the living room with, nothing. There was absolutely nothing there. But Toothless was having a great time, trying to grab something above him that was just out of his reach, and moving around. Hiccup stared, aghast, as Toothless moved over to a tall bookshelf, still reaching up to the ceiling at nothing.

Hiccup would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. For all he knew there was a ghost or something in his house, that his dragon could see, but not him.

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted. The dragon stopped and looked at him, always adhering to his rider.

"Who are you playing with?"

Toothless jerked his head towards the top of the bookshelf with a bark.

"'Him'? Whose him?" Toothless answered with the same response again. Then his attention was grabbed by something else. One of the books on the top shelf was sliding out of its slot. All by itself.

Hiccup was frozen in fear as he watch the book etch closer and closer to the edge, before falling, and hitting Toothless in the head, making him growl, and landing on the floor, open.

Too scared to even move, Hiccup watched as Toothless looked to the top of the bookshelf again, then seemed to nod, as if understanding something, then walked over to the book, took it in his mouth, and carried it over to where Hiccup sat frozen by the fireplace, placing it casually on the floor in front of him.

Hiccup saw that it was one of the books his mother used to read to him as a kid. it had an almanac of stories about Old Norse Gods and Goddesses, as well as numerous folklore and mythical creatures.

As he looked at it, a gentle draft came and blew the pages over, until it settled on a certain edition.

Hiccup leaned closer cautiously and read aloud

"The Weather Gods" he read. "There are many Gods dedicated to weather, such as Thor, who control's lightning, Kari, who commands the wind, and..." He paused. The next part terrified him most of all. Especially since he felt like he was slowly getting colder and colder. Toothless seemed quite pleased, and didn't sense any danger, but still, Hiccup couldn't help but be afraid as he read the final words.

He gulped. "...And, The Winter God, _Hodur_, also known as _Jokul Frosti"_

As he finished those words, the chilling draft returned, and the pages flipped to an illustration of a mighty God standing on a glacier, with hair white as snow, and brandishing a huge staff.

"What the heck is this...?"

Once again the pages flipped at the will of the wind, back to the page he had first read aloud. He stared down at the words, and as he did, the notice movement, and a reflection of light.

Right before his eyes, lines made of icicles drew themselves onto the page, crossing out the words _Hodur_ and _Jokul Frosti. _Toothless was restless now. Hiccup's heart pounded.

The icicles then formed words. In crummy handwriting, right under the name _Jokul Frosti_, appeared the words Jack Frost.

"Jack Frost." Hiccup said aloud. "Who's Jack Frost?"

"Jack Frost!" The words were like lightning hitting his house. A random voice that had not been there before, was now speaking seemingly from inside his house, only inches away from him. And saying this strange name he had only just now heard for the first time in his life.

"Yes, that's my name! Jack Frost! You just said my name!" The voice shouted enthusiastically.

Hiccup could only have a million heart attacks per second. The voice sounded young, and male. Hiccup looked up slowly, slowly, from the pages of the book. He saw on the floor in front of him, two, bare, pale feet standing on the wooden surface that had not been there before.

He took a deep, long breath in, and looked up all the way.

And there, fright in front of him, standing over his scared, crouching figure, was a young boy, not much older than him, with snow white hair, deep blue eyes, and brandishing a thin, wooden staff, beaming with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on a person.

He screamed. The other boy's smile disappeared, and he too screamed. They both just stood there screaming at each other until they both flew backwards in fear, Hiccup nearly falling headlong into the fire, the other boy flying so far that he hit the back wall with a thud. Toothless only looked on with irritation. Hiccup frantically pulled himself away from the searing embers in the fireplace, and stamped on a tiny flame that had enlightened on his blanket. The other boy just as frantically tried to pull himself free of the heavy brown cloak that had tangled around his head in the frenzy.

When finally they were able to look up again, Hiccup merely stared in awe. The other boy looked straight into his eyes for a short moment, then raised his hands to his hair, tugging at it as if in utter disbelief.

"You...you can hear me right?" The other boy said, slowly moving forward.

Hiccup merely nodded, mouth still gaping open.

"And, you can see me? Please tell me you can see me?"

"Yeah, I can see you..." Hiccup said slowly, as if finding his voice for the first time in years.

"Oh my- This is- You can see me! He can see me!" The boy looked at Toothless, who barked in approval, and apparently taking credit for resolving this.

The other boy walked closer to Hiccup, still a little wary. Hiccup still couldn't move, or shut his mouth.

"Hey, kid. I gotta ask you a favour." The white-haired boy asked. "Could you say my name again? Please? Just one more time? I've gotta be sure I'm not dreaming."

"Ahh..." Hiccup stuttered. Just what was his name?

Then he finally connected the dots. He looked down at the book again, at the words frozen on the page.

"Jack Frost?"

With that, Jack Frost simply exploded. He shot straight up with a blast of wind, into the already dark night sky, breaking a hole straight through the roof, leaving a dusting of snow falling _inside_ his house. Hiccup could hear even from down there him shouting with sheer happiness.

Then he landed just as swiftly as he had launched, pounced straight over to Hiccup, and pulled him close in a tight hug.

That was when Hiccup broke out of the stupor he was in. His mouth snapped shut and his cheeks flushed red, before pushing the strange teen away with a look of embarrassment.

"Just what are you anyway? You think you can just storm in here and mess around with my house? My Dad will go nuts over that hole!" Hiccup said, pointing at the ceiling.

"Ooh, sorry about that." Jack said. And with a flick of his staff he floated up to the ceiling, and started pulling the structure back into shape, mending the hole completely, sealing it with ice.

"There, no harm done." He said on return.

"Well, what about all this snow everywhere? I don't know what you think, but generally it doesn't snow _indoors_." Hiccup complained.

"Oh yeah, one sec." And once again, he waved his staff and conjured a mini whirlwind that sucked up all the snow, leaving all the furniture unmoved.

"There now. I don't think I properly introduced myself." He said on completion. "My name's Jack Frost. I'm the spirit that controls Winter. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand, the one that wasn't holding the strange mangled stick.

"Ahh..." Hiccup hesitated. He wasn't sure if he could really trust this guy yet. He DID just break a hole in his roof. And he DID technically invade his house.

Still, there was no way anyone with such a genuine smile as his could mean him any harm.

He took the cold hand, and shook it. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. The first Viking to train and ride a dragon."

And once again, Jack tugged on his hand and pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah yeah..." Hiccup said awkwardly, but hugged the teen back none the less.

And this was to be the start of a friendship that would outlast several lifetimes.


	4. Coming to an Agreement

In all of the world there could not have been a stranger pair of boys. The Winter Spirit and the Dragon Tamer. Sitting together by the fire of a Viking's house, a Nightfury cosy beside them. Jack told Hiccup who he was, or, the little that he DID know of himself, and Hiccup told Jack the story of how he changed the perspectives of an entire village of ferocious Vikings just by being himself, a little scaredy-cat. Toothless listened quietly, slowly nodding off to sleep.

"So let me get this straight, in a village that prided itself on killing dragons in cold blood, you somehow managed to train one? How did you ever get your Dad to agree to that?" Jack asked.

"Well, he didn't agree to it. I messed up everything by keeping that a secret from him, but I somehow managed to fix it. All it took was a life-risking battle against a giant monster no-one has ever seen the likes of before." He finished with a light chuckle.

"Wow, you're really something. So, that's why..." Jack gestured towards his metal foot. Hiccup looked down at it with sadness for a very brief moment, but then lifted his head.

"Eh, it's not so bad once you get used to it." Jack smiled. He was moved by his determination. "Besides, this one missing leg is nothing compared to what you've been through. So that's why you went so crazy when you found out I could see you."

"Yeah...Sorry again about that." Jack scratched the back of his head.

At that moment there was a grunt and the front door was pushed open, letting a whole new load of cold air in.

Hiccup shivered, Jack watched him do so, feeling slightly guilty. At the door a massive man pushed his way in, holding a giant basket on his back. He stumbled through the door grunting with the effort, before kicking the door shut behind him. He had a huge build, and a long, tangled, red beard. All topped off with a horned Viking helmet.

"Dad! You're home!" Hiccup shouted, looking back and forth between his father and Jack. Apparently he was trying to see if the giant village leader could see him or not.

The huge Viking looked up, and noticed Toothless immediately. "Hiccup! What is Toothless doing in- What are you doing in here?" Stoick asked, jumping from Hiccup to the dozing dragon. Clearly he, like everyone else in the world, was unable to see the Winter Spirit sitting at the fireplace.

"Ahh, sorry. It was freezing outside." Hiccup explained. Toothless snorted and went back to dozing. "How was the hunt?"

"By Odin...It's as you said, its freezing outside." Stoick said in his Scottish droll, hurling the half empty basket to the ground. "All the hogs have gone to hibernate fer the Winter. We only managed to catch a few possums."

Jack listened in warily, feeling more guilty with everything Stoick said. He continued.

"If we don't get crackin', Winter'll be 'ere in no time at all, and we'll scarcely have enough food to feed anyone."

Hiccup remained silent, and kept glancing back at Jack, who simply stared at the floor.

"Hiccup, tomorrow, if the Berk Blizzard holds back, we'll need you and the other rider's help in hunting." Stoick said, walking over to his son. "You'll be our eyes in the sky." He put a massive hand on his tiny shoulder in encouragement.

"Okay Dad, whatever you say..." Hiccup gave a weak smile, and Stoick nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Well, I'm off ta bed. You better get to that soon, too. Odin knows, we'll all need our strength tomorrow." He finished, before grabbing the meat basket, hauling it into a storage room sealed in stone, and wandered up the stairs.

"Yep. Night, Dad." Hiccup watched him go, any excuse not to look at Jack.

As soon as the door slammed shut, a long silence befell the two boys. Jack stared into the fire silently, lost in thought. Hiccup fidgeted, not knowing what to say. Toothless groaned and rolled over, obviously being affected by the thick tension in the room.

"Soo..." Hiccup started. He felt it was time to address the elephant in the room. "You're the spirit of Winter, huh? You decide when Winter comes and goes?"

"Well, not really. The Moon doesn't talk to me much, but when he does, it's only to let me know when Autumn is almost over, and it's time to bring Winter." Jack explained.

"But, if you wanted to, you could hold off bringing Winter, for like, a few days, right? If you wanted to?" Hiccup asked. He knew it was rude to pry like this, but he couldn't help but think he'd hit the jackpot meeting the very being who could stop Winter from even coming, solving all his and his Dad's problems with gathering enough food to last them.

"Well ahh...yeah. I guess I could." Jack mumbled in reply. He knew where Hiccup was going with this.

"Oh, okay, cool." Hiccup said, trying to remain subtle, and failing.

Another awkward silence followed. Finally Jack sighed, giving in.

"You want me to hold back Winter for your village, don't you?"

"That would actually be awesome." Hiccup answered straight away, still managing to remain calm.

"You don't understand the position I'm in." Jack tried to explain.

"Okay, yeah, granted, maybe I don't quite understand what a regular day for the Spirit of Winter entails," Hiccup started, shrugging. "But Jack, what YOU don't understand, for some reason, is that Winters in Berk are the worst in the world."

"What? They are?" Jack asked, intrigued.

"Wait, how come you don't KNOW this? You BRING the winters!" Hiccup rebutted.

"I don't really BRING winter, I just make snow and blizzards and ice and stuff. Winter will come whether I do all that stuff or not." Jack explained. "It complicated..."

"Well then you should know." Hiccup continued. "The traders who come here to sell stuff, they all say they refuse to come near Berk in Winter, because it's practically suicide. In the middle month of winter, every year, Berk is shrouded in a non-stop snow storm, that lasts all month. The traders call it the Berk Blizzard."

Jack was dumbstruck. 'What...?' He thought. 'But, that's not me!'

"That's why it's so important that we hunt and gather food as much as we can so we can stockpile before Winter. But...because of all that stuff with the dragons I told you about, a lot of our flocks were stolen, and we spent most of our time fighting them instead of preparing for Winter."

"I get it..." Jack said, cutting Hiccup off. "You want me to hold back Winter just long enough so you can gather enough food to survive."

"I know it's a lot to ask. Especially since we've only just met." Hiccup said.

Surprisingly, Jack let out a short laugh. "Yeah. But to be honest, you're the only person I've EVER met. In 212 years, you're the first person to talk to me. To even SEE me. I dunno, I think we have enough of a connection for me to perform a simple favour for you." Jack said, looking to him with a warm smile, despite how cold the rest of him looked.

Now it was Hiccup's turn to freak out in happiness. "YES!" He chorused. "You don't even understand how many problems that solves."

"Just remember," Jack said firmly. "I have a time limit, okay?"

"Time limit?" Hiccup enquires, his excitement dying down.

"I only have a month before I have to bring Winter." Jack said, pointing his staff right at Hiccup's nose to drive the point home. "If I don't, then..."

"Then, what?" Hiccup asked, pushing the staff aside to look at his face.

"Never mind... The point is, winter can only be delayed by an extra month. That's how much extra time I'm giving you to get food for your village." Jack said. "You got that."

"Yes, I got it." Hiccup was smiling once again. He definitely hit the jackpot. How lucky that Jack was so understanding. How lucky that he just happened to be the only person in the world, in 212 years, in Jack whole life, to be able to see him.

Which got him thinking...

"Jack, this is great." He started. Jack shrugged in reply. Hiccup continued. "Don't laugh, but I think I may have thought of something I can do for you in return."

Jack looked at him questionably.

"Okay, true, I have no idea how, or why I'm able to see you. And I'm sure you don't either. But all I know is that I couldn't see you this afternoon, but I can now." Hiccup explained.

"What are you getting at?" Jack slanted his eyebrows.

"I'm saying, that if I can come to see you, I bet I could make others able to see you too!" Hiccup exclaimed, Jack's heart skipped a beat.

"You...you really think I could...well, talk to people? Like, maybe even touch people?" Jack asked, his eyes finding an all new brightness.

"Well, you can touch me. And I can see and hear you. I don't see why we couldn't try and do the same for the entire village! I'll make you a legend! Everyone will know your name! Everyone will know that it's YOU that's holding Winter back for everyone!"

"I don't know Hiccup..." Jack bowed his head, hesitant. Those old images of pitchforks and torches flashed into his head, only to be replaced with images of swords and swinging maces, not to mention an abundance of horned helmets.

"Trust me." Hiccup said. Jack jerked his head up. Hiccup was holding his hand out to him.

He stared at it for a short time. Somewhere deep down he was still trying to convince himself that this was all just a cruel coincidence, and Hiccup couldn't see him at all. He'd reach our for that hand only for his to pass right through it, like the phantom he was. He'd go back to being alone. So completely alone.

"Trust me." Hiccup repeated. And Jack found himself reaching for his hand. And, he grabbed it. It was warm, and it shook, and the deal was done.

"Okay, you'll hold back Winter for 1 month, and I'll make everyone in the village believe in you." Hiccup sealed it in stone. Jack smiled, a fierce determination flooding his face.

"Deal." He said.

With that, both boys turned towards the fire, and sat in silence. But it wasn't awkward, or tense. It was free. As if all talking was done. Nothing more needed to be said. They both heard Toothless snore from behind them, and Hiccup yawned.

"Jack Frost." Hiccup said, the third time that night.

"Y-yeah?" Jack still couldn't quite take in the sound of his own name being said by someone else.

"Whats it like...living alone for 212 years?" Hiccup asked, adjusting himself so he was lying on his stomach, still staring into the dancing flames.

Jack remained silent a short second. Before he answered.

"To be honest, I don't know what It's like. Because I've never known anything else." Hiccup listened, without saying another word.

"The first thing I remember is darkness. It was dark, and cold, and I was afraid." He bowed his head. "I had no idea where I was, or if I even was anybody before. But then, I saw the moon. It was so big and so bright...and he told me my name. And, even though it sounds lonely, and it was, it wasn't all that bad. I realised quickly what I was, and what I was supposed to do. I had powers no-one else did. And I've always loved seeing kids smiling on snow days, and playing. I...I'm not sure what it means, but I know that I'm here for a reason. What that reason is, we'll just have to wait and see."

He took a deep breath in. "So yeah..." But when he looked down to Hiccup, he saw him lying comfortably with his head cupped in his arms, eyes closed, sleeping soundly. Jack couldn't help but smile at his sleeping face.

He stood up, and stretched his limbs. Toothless was sound asleep by now too. He figured the kid's room was upstairs like his dad's. He couldn't let him just lie here all night.

He picked him up carefully, trying his best not to wake the sleeping teen, before carrying him upstairs. He found a room with a tiny bed, matching Hiccup's body perfectly, and placed him down softly, under the animal skin covers.

And, just before he left out the window, he lit a fire in the small furnace against the wall beside his bed for extra warmth. Of course, he wasn't affected at all by cold, so he had no idea how cold it actually was. But you could never be too sure.

With one final glance back, and warm smile, he hopped out the window, and floated upwards, onto the roof. He conjured a layer of snow to dust down onto the roof in one spot, before getting himself comfortable. True, he didn't actually need to sleep. But what was better for a winter spirit than lying in a blanket of snow?

He laid still for a short time, but couldn't seem to settle his thoughts. There was that nagging tingle at the back of his neck, telling him that this couldn't be real. He physically scratched his neck, reaching around strenuously, but still it persisted. Surely he hadn't actually just let another person. And they had also met him. It still seemed too good to be true.

After all, was he not lying out here on a rooftop, all by himself, on a bed of snow he had made himself, just as he had done thousands of nights before? It felt like nothing had changed. And it terrified him.

He stood up once more. He couldn't just continue to do things the way he had done them every night of his life so far. Today had changed all that. He had literally changed Jack's life. Waiting on his rooftop while he slept just didn't seem good enough.

Without another thought, he slipped back into Hiccup's bedroom window.


	5. Frosty Mornings

Hiccup awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed and renewed than he had felt in a long time. The first thing he noticed was the sound of Toothless snoring downstairs. Dragon snores were hard to mistake. He woke up slowly, his eyelids flickering at the morning sunlight shining onto his face through his open window. That must be why he felt slightly cold. Yet, still he felt pleasurably warm. He never wanted to leave his bed.

Wait, how did he get up here last night in the first place?

He had been talking to Jack. They had made a pact to work together to keep the village safe this winter. And...he must have fallen asleep. Did Jack bring him upstairs?

Hiccup finally decided it was time to open his eyes. As he did, he was immediately greeted with none other than Jack himself. In the blur of the morning sun he could made out his spiky white hair and his pale face, not too far away. So he had brought Hiccup to his room. Well that was kind of him.

But wait, why wasn't he moving? Hiccup finally roused himself into full consciousness and realised that Jack was lying beside him in his bed, still fast asleep.

With a yelp he fell backwards onto the floor, bumping his head on the hard wood. Wincing, he looked back up to the sleeping winter spirit.

As he did he uncovered more answers to previous mysteries. The mini furnace beside his bed was lit, still containing glowing embers. So that's why he was so pleasantly warm. He also realised that both him and Jack were sopping wet. So that's why he was still slightly cold.

"W-what is this?" He asked, looking down at his wet shirt. He looked back up to Jack expecting him to rise and give him an answer, but the white haired boy remained still. Hiccup moved closer. Jack's face looked peaceful enough. But he soon realised that his breathing was shallow, and his face was pale. Well, more so than usual.

Could it be...? A thought occurred to Hiccup. It seemed so simple, but then again, he didn't know how magic worked. Anything was possible.

"He's melting!" Hiccup exclaimed. "Toothless! Come 'ere."

In a flash Toothless was awake and speeding up the stairs with a strange agility, considering his size.

"Toothless, you gotta help me get Jack out into the cold." Hiccup said, pulling his dragon closer.

This sounded like a strange request to the Nightfury. Didn't human's usually prefer to stay warm?

"He's melting! I think...We have to get him out of this warm room!" Hiccup explained. Toothless hesitated no longer, and carefully nuzzled his nose under Jack's body, before lifting him up on his flat head, and started moving down stairs.

Just before following, Hiccup grabbed Jack's staff, which he noticed leaning on the wall nearby. He knew from that talk last night that this thing was rarely separated from Jack. It might help him.

They got downstairs and out the front door. A helpful wintery chill was bellowing through the village, making it seem even more cold than it was.

Toothless took Jack to the slightly frosty grass by the house, and placed him down slowly. As soon as he hit the cold ground, the winter spirit let out a sigh. He seemed to already be regaining strength and colour.

"Hey, Jack! Are you okay?" Hiccup shouted, placing the staff down beside him, gently shaking the ice boy's shoulders, trying to get his attention.

Jack's eyes opened, but they were still empty and wandering. Hiccup continued his attempted rousing.

"Jack! Wake up!" He snapped his fingers next to his ears, but still nothing. "Toothless, what do we-"

Toothless let out an almighty Nightfury roar, right into the unconscious winter spirit's face. That woke him right up.

"GAH!" Jack cried, shooting up with a look of panic on his face. Toothless pulled away, looking quite pleased with himself. Even Hiccup was taken aback. But he was relieved to see Jack okay, none-the-less.

"What the hell?!" Jack shouted again, panting.

"Jack! Are you okay?" Hiccup asked, leaning forward, getting a good look at him.

"Wha-, yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He said, inching away from Hiccup who was uncomfortably close.

"You were passed out! And you looked as if you had a cold! How to winter spirits even get colds?" He asked, frazzled.

"Oh, that." Jack said, standing up and brushing himself off, before grabbing his staff from the ground, completing his look. "That happens when I go to sleep."

"Huh?" Hiccup inarticulately questioned.

"Well, I'm a Winter Spirit. I don't actually need to sleep. Nor eat, or drink for that matter. My body works differently to mortals. If I sleep my powers temporarily shut off, and that means that I don't keep myself cold automatically." Jack explained.

"So," Hiccup said. "You actually DID melt?!"

"Well, yeah. It was pretty warm in your room." Jack gave him an innocent smile. "And when I lose too much cold, I start to get a bit nauseous." He scratched the back of his neck.

"Speaking of!" Hiccup also stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Jack. "Why in the world did you feel the need to sleep in my bed? Especially when you don't even need to sleep, or get sick when you sleep in a warm place!"

"Yeah...Sorry about that. But you were already sleeping, I didn't want to wake you. And well..." Jack looked down, hesitant. "I...couldn't stand another night alone. Not after meeting you-meeting somebody. _Anybody_."

Hiccup looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a second, then sighed. "Man, who'd have thought the God of Winter would be less like a macho he-man and more like a lost puppy. Only cold and less furry."

"Am not!" Jack protested.

This continued for awhile until Toothless saw fit to split the two quarrelling teens up.

"Anyway!" Hiccup began, after copping a head butt from his dragon. "Today I'm taking Toothless and some friends to go hunting with my Dad's party. Would you _try_ to stay out of trouble until I get back?"

"Wait," Jack said. "You mean I can't come with you? What am I supposed to do around here all day? It's not like I can do what I normally do."

But Hiccup wasn't listening. He was already moving over to the dragon shed to make preparations for Toothless. Just as he did, Stoick came out of the house, stretching his massive arms, already decked out completely in his Viking armour, as he was every morning.

"Mornin' Hiccup! Sleep well?" He asked, looking out over the village.

"Ahh...sure." Hiccup said distractedly, shooting a glare at Jack, who simply smiled cheekily.

"By the way," Stoik was saying. "I heard a commotion this morning, woke me right out of my sleep. What was that all about?"

"Uuummm..." Hiccup looked to Jack frantically for an idea for an excuse.

"Jack Frost was in my bed!" Jack shouted.

"Jack Frost was in my bed..." Hiccup repeated mindlessly, only regretting it after it had come out of his mouth. Jack snickered uncontrollably.

Stoick just gave him a sceptical look, then seemed to accept it as another one of his son's strange projects. "Well anyway!" He said. "You'd better go gather the riders of Berk. The hunting party'll be gatherin' soon, and you'll need to be there to hear the brief. Let's hope the weather stays this nice for the week."

"Sure thing, Dad." Hiccup whistled to Toothless, who appeared before him. He hooked up the saddle, and hopped on, clipping in his prosthetic foot. The dragon and the rider were off in a matter of minutes. Jack conjured a strong updraft to keep up with them. He flew casually alongside the Nightfury as it flew gracefully over the roofs of Berk.

"Soo," Jack said mischievously. "Remember how you said that if I hold back Winter I can meet more people?"

"I never forget my promises." Hiccup gave him a thumbs-up.

"So then, introduce me to your friends?" Jack asked, hanging around Hiccup like a buzzing bee.

"It's still early days. I need to figure out a plan of action first. I can't just go right up to people and say 'Hey! Would you like to hear the good news about our Lord and Saviour Jack Frost?' Everyone will think I'm crazy!" That was Hiccup, always the Viking with the plan.

"Well, you could at least mention my name to someone...or something..." Jack said.

"Also, I'm not introducing you to anyone until I'm confident you'll keep your end of the deal." Hiccup said bluntly.

Jack let out a sarcastic gasp. "You doubt me! I'm offended, Hiccup."

"Wounded even?"

"Hurt, Hiccup. And besides, what reason have I given you so far not to trust me?" Jack said, floating up-side down just in front of Hiccup as he walked, keeping him at eye-level.

"I don't know who or what you are yet, I'm not even sure if you are real yet, or if I really am just crazy, and I woke up next to you this morning, covered in melted winter spirit sweat." He said, raising a finger on his hand for each point. "Just...give me a little more time, would you?"

"Okay, fine." Jack said reluctantly. But still didn't leave Hiccup's side.

Finally they arrived at their destination. Toothless landed next to the old dragon training stadium. Jack hovered over it briefly, looking down into the rocky bowl.

It was still technically a dragon training stadium, as now they trained the dragons to be human-tamed, not the Vikings to be dragon killers. Hiccup and the other teen Vikings had worked together to turn it into the Berk Dragon Academy. Vikings learned to become trainers, and dragons learned to be trained. After Jack's time spent in Berk in the past, he had learned all the names of the dragons. Mainly just front hearing furious Vikings shouting the words as they attacked them viciously.

Inside the bowl was a number of young Vikings, and their dragon counterparts. Jack noticed Hiccup and Toothless wandering into their midst through the entrance, and floated down to join him.

"Hey guys!" Hiccup shouted a greeting to the other teen Vikings.

"Hiccup!" A buff Viking boy with black hair and his arm stuck in the mouth of a Nightmare shouted. "Give me a hand here? _Literally_!"

Hiccup sighed. "I told you Snotlout, Nightmares can't tell the difference between your hand and food. You've gotta throw snacks to Hookfang." He wondered over and scratched the Nightmare under its chin. It let out a low, satisfied growl and let go of its rider hand. Snotlout pulled away, shaking his dragon slobber-covered hand.

"Hiccup!" Three other kids came running over. A boy and a girl that could be nothing other than twins, had a large two-headed Zippleback in tow. The third, a chubby Viking with a chubby Gronkle.

"Hey! You should've been here, Meatlug just fell asleep during my daily dragon behaviour lecture, and she was snoring like a baby! It was adorable!" The fat one said. "But then the twins woke her up with their bickering."

"She does that all the time, Fishlegs." Hiccup sighed. "Hey, where's Astrid?"

Jack hovered up behind Hiccup. Obviously none of the other young Vikings could see him.

"Hey, who's Astrid? Your girlfriend?" He asked, immediately Hiccup turned a bright shade of red. But he didn't answer him.

"Hey Hiccup, you look a little red." The male twin said, walking over with his sister. "Did you just pee your pants?" The female twin giggled in response.

"What?! No! Tuffnut, Ruffnut, could you too go break up that fight? " Hiccup gestured towards the Nightmare named Hookfang and the Zippleback named Barf Belch were quarrelling. Jack was hovering around with a smile on his face amongst the chaos. "Someone tell me where Astrid is?"

"I'm here!" A familiar voice echoed through the arena. Jack and Hiccup turned to see a slender but buff girl with blonde hair ride in on a blue Deadly Nadder. "Sorry I'm late, Hiccup. Stormfly had a bit of a sleepy start." She said giving the dragon a flick to the nose.

"Hi Astrid." Hiccup said happily. It seemed he was glad to see someone who wasn't somehow getting themselves into trouble or being difficult.

"Well, we're all here now." Hiccup continued. "Let's go over the plans again for today."

"Ah, I have a question." Ruffnut raised her hand.

"I'll only answer if it's not a useless question." Astrid replied.

"Oh it's not useless at all...What are we doing again?" Ruffnut asked, Tuffnut concurred with a nod.

Hiccup sighed. "I told you, we're going to help my Dad's hunting party today. We need to start stocking up on food, the Berk Blizzard could be here any day now." Hiccup stole a glance over his shoulder at Jack while he said this.

"Anyway, we have to review the plan. If we mess this up we could be risking the lives of all the villagers. So listen up. Especially you two." Hiccup gestured towards Ruffnut and Tuffnut. They shrugged.

As Hiccup went over the hunting plan with the academy kids, Jack was hovering above the dragons, getting a good look at them. They really were quite fascinating. He wanted to see if he could get a reaction from them, and tried poking them with his staff. But it seemed Toothless and Hiccup really were the only ones who could see him. His staff passed through the dragon's bodies like a fish passes through water.

Feeling dejected, he hopped to the ground, walking casually back over to the group, sending trestles of ice here and there with a tap of his staff on the ground. He really was quite bored.

"And that's that. We leave as soon as Dad arrives with the hunting party." Hiccup finished. Jack flew right over to him, and tried again to convince him to let him come on the hunting trip.

"Hiccup!" He said right next to his face. "Take me with you! You never know, I might be helpful! And besides, I'll be so bored just sitting around the village all day! I'm not used to staying in one place for too long!"

"I'm sorry Jack," Hiccup whispered. "You'll just have to deal with it. This hunting trip could be our final chance to get food before the blizzard comes. I can't risk anything getting in the way. Especially since no-one else can see you, you might get hurt."

"No I won't! I promise!" Jack persisted.

"Who are you talking to, Hiccup?" The blonde girl named Astrid asked from behind him.

"Ahh, no-one! Just, ya know, going over the plan again! To ah...myself. You know me! Always the Viking with the plan!" Hiccup stammered over his words. Just then, Stoick, Gobber and a party of other ferocious looking Hunter Vikings arrived at the entrance to the arena. Hiccup called the Riders of Berk to get ready to leave.

He hopped on Toothless and strapped himself in. "I'll be back faster than you can say Hairy Hooligans." Hiccup said to the lingering Winter Spirit.

Jack sighed, finally giving in. "Okay, you better be. I'll be waiting here when you get back."

Hiccup smiled once more, before signalling to the riders. They all took off, and sped out of the entrance, following the hunting party up the mountain. Jack sighed once more.

He started heading back to the village. Okay, he thought. It's not that bad. He'll be back faster than I can say...

"Hairy Hooligans..." Jack muttered to himself, a glum look on his face. He was alone...again.

He got back to the village, and noticed the villagers were all going about their usual business, tending to their laundry or working in the fields. He saw a bunch of small kids playing in the street, and smiled. Everyone was rugged up with animal skins and scarfs. It must be getting cold.

Then Jack got an idea.

Hiccup had said he had to hold back the Berk Blizzard, so that's just what he'll do. But in the meantime, a teeny weeny little bit of Winter, just enough to have a bit of fun, wouldn't hurt anyone now would it?

This was his punishment for leaving him here all alone. Hiccup would be in for a surprise when he got back.


	6. Snow Capped Rooftops

"It's starting to get really cold." Astrid chatted from the back of Stormfly, as her and the other riders of Berk were heading back to the village after a successful hunting trip. "I hope we still have time before Winter."

Stoick hadn't realised how much easier hunting would be with dragons on their side. Sure he had Thornado, but with the help of an extra 5 dragons and their riders, the hunting party had managed to catch 6 wild boars, 8 possums and 3 full baskets of fish.

"It'll be fine." Hiccup replied, confidently. "With everything that we managed to accomplish today, I'm sure we'll make it in time. Besides, I have the feeling Winter will be late this year." A knowing smile covered his face. Astrid and the others simply shrugged.

As hiccup said this, however, they arrived back at the village, and Hiccup's jaw dropped. Never had he been so horribly and so quickly contradicted.

For the village was completely covered in a light, thin blanket of white snow. It was just enough to cover the tips of the blades of grass, and to coat the rooftops with a sweet-looking frosting of white.

"Where in the world did this come from?" Fishlegs commented from behind Hiccup.

"It must have snowed in just this small spot while we were gone, as impossible as that sounds." Astrid said, also looking down over the white village with a sagging jaw.

Hiccup's heart was pounding. Could it be that he was betrayed? Just as he was beginning to trust the God of Winter?

"Jack..." Hiccup mumbled through his teeth. Astrid heard.

"Huh? Who's Jack?" She asked. But Hiccup wasn't listening. He sped down to the snow-covered ground with Toothless.

As soon as he landed he heard a commotion in the square. He wondered over and saw a bunch of young Viking children playing in the snow, hurling snowballs at each other. In all his frustration it did look like fun. The kids were squealing and laughing like they hadn't had this much fun in years. Then he spotted _him_. Jack was amongst the kids, playing just as carelessly as they were, laughing and hurling snowballs, acting as if they could actually see him. Which Hiccup was sure they couldn't, as even though many were hit by Jack's snowballs, none acknowledged him.

"Jack!" Hiccup shouted into the crowd of kids, the anger flaring in his voice. How could he be acting so carefree? Had he really been played for a fool? By an immature, mischievous poltergeist? He suddenly felt so stupid. And that only made his anger worse.

None of the kids looked up. It seemed in their state of fun they would only answer to their own names. Jack however did look up, and his face lit up when he spotted Hiccup. Damn him, was he not sorry at all?

"Hiccup!" Jack shouted back. "You're back!" He dropped the snowballs he was holding and flew straight over to Hiccup, enclosing him in his arms, just as he had done when they first met. His hug was so fierce he lifted Hiccup off the ground. If any of the kids were actually paying attention that would have looked fairly strange.

Hiccup pushed Jack off him. Jack moved away, looking down at him with a sceptical look.

"Whats the matter with you? Did hunting not go well?" Jack asked. Why was he still playing dumb.

"No, hunting went great." Hiccup said, withholding his enthusiasm. We should be able to get enough food before winter comes. No thanks to you." His last words were spoken with as must contempt as he intended.

"Huh? Whats that supposed to mean?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean whats that supposed to mean?!" Hiccup shouted. He gestured towards all the snow around them. "Did our agreement last night mean nothing to you?!"

What Jack did next nearly blew Hiccup's fuse. He chuckled, a low, cynical chuckle. As if everything was just fine, and Hiccup was the one over-reacting.

"Oh Hiccup. A little snow never hurt anybody. Just look how much fun we're having?" He turned towards the kids still engrossed in their snowball fight. The high pitched laughter would have been highly contagious, if not for Hiccup's brewing anger.

"Listen Hiccup," Jack said, putting a cold arm around Hiccup's hunched shoulders. "I'm a Winter Spirit. Snow days and fun times is what I do. I would never dream of conjuring a devastating blizzard that would put the lives of a whole village at risk." Jack let go of Hiccup, and wondered into a thick section of snow, reaching in and gathering a fistful into a snowball. "Wherever that Berk Blizzard thing is coming from, I promise you I'll hold it back for as long as it takes, maybe even stop it altogether, if I can. But for now, I have to do what I was born to do." While his back was turned, he blew a spell onto the snowball, that made it sparkle in the sunlight. He then whisked around and hurled it at Hiccup. It hit him straight in his angry-looking face and he fell backwards into the snow.

"Oops...may have overdone it a bit..." Jack said, wincing. "Are you okay?"

Hiccup stood up, his head bowed. Snowflakes riddled his brunette hair. He bent down and gathered his own snowball, before hurling it full force at the winter spirit.

Jack regained himself, feeling slightly taken aback. He looked up to see a massive smile spread across Hiccup's face.

"HAH! Take that!" He said, following a short chuckle.

Jack then smiled too, and threw another, hitting him in the chest. Hiccup called Toothless over, to use as cover, and so began their heated battle. Jack laughed at Hiccup's determination to beat him. They ended up joining the children eventually. Hiccup kept aiming specifically at Jack, even though he knew no-one else could see him. Jack simply enjoyed the fun he had created. This was the sort of thing that always kept him going. Seeing kids grinning like the sun. Jack was also willing to bet Hiccup's smile could fuel him for a mortal lifetime.

After at least 30 minutes of snowball war, Jack was ambushed by Hiccup and finally admitted defeat. Hiccup collapsed onto his back in the snow, his face still plastered with a lingering smile. Toothless lay beside him.

"Haha, okay, that was pretty fun." Hiccup said.

Jack collapsed beside him. "I told you! This is what I do best."

"Okay, okay, I believe you. I believe that you're not responsible for the Berk Blizzard."

"Damn straight. I don't know what the Man in the Moon is planning, But if this has been happening for years then it must be his doing. But, I'll use my powers to stop it hitting the island as long as I can." Jack gave Hiccup a friendly punch to his skinny bicep.

"Thankyou." Hiccup said whole-heartedly.

"I should be thanking you for not slugging me back there. You were pretty flared up. I'm just glad I was able to convince you that I'm a man of my word." Jack said.

"Yeah, when you hit me with that snowball I just kind of forgot why I was mad." Hiccup laughed.

"Yeah, that was me." Jack said simply.

"Wait, what?"

"That was me. I can make angry people friendly, and sad people playful and happy." Jack explained.

"So, basically you manipulated my emotions without my permission?" Hiccup asked cynically.

"Well, it sounds bad when you say it like that..."

Hiccup remained silent, then sighed. "I can't stay mad..." He said.

"Of course not!"

"Anyway, now that we've established that you'll hold back Winter, I need to crack down and start thinking of ways to get others to believe in you." Hiccup said, putting a finger to his chin in thought.

"I can't wait to hear what you come up with." Jack replied with a grin. He truly was looking forward to that. "I know you of all people will be able to do it."

But Hiccup seemed to be already lost in thought. Jack looked at him, but he was staring blankly up at the sky, thinking. Then suddenly he exclaimed.

"I've got it!" He said, sitting up.

"You do?!" Jack sat up too.

"Yeah! Think about it, you're a legend from a storybook that I read as a kid. If not for that, I probably never would have figured out what you were, and been able to see you. You're a folktale, a god." Hiccup said enthusiastically.

"Yeah...? So?" Jack asked.

"So! Who believes in stories and folktales more than anyone else? Who would be the best target audience to start with, to get people to believe in you?" Hiccup kept explaining, but Jack remained inconclusive.

"Kids of course! If we tell kids about the Winter Spirit, Jack Frost, I'm sure they'll be must quicker to imagine you than adults would. We could start with the children of Berk!" The words tumbled from Hiccup's mouth.

"Okay, you're a genius." Jack said calmly, in an attempt to hide his excitement.

"Oh, I figured that out ages ago." Hiccup said with a proud smile. "And I think I know just the bunch of kids to start with..."


	7. Then There Were Three

That night, the dragons were left all snug and warm at home, as Stoick decided to hold a smoked fish night in the great hall, in celebration of the hunting party's huge haul that day. Just about everyone in the village was gathered in one place. After all what kind of Viking passes up the opportunity for free smoked fish? This would be the perfect time to begin Hiccup's plan.

Hiccup entered the hall, followed by a conspicuous Winter Spirit, and was instantly bowled over by the amount of noise and food flying around the room. The massive centre fireplace was being used as a counterfeit barbeque, and everyone in the village was gathered around it, or off at a table eating their fish.

Hiccup spotted the riders of Berk, sitting together at a table near his Dad's. Fishlegs was reading some kind of book, as usual, the twins were fighting, as usual, and Snotlout was hitting on Astrid with some lame attempt at making a tower of fish bones. Strangely enough, as usual.

"Over here, Jack!" Hiccup whispered to the white haired boy brandishing a staff behind him. Hiccup wondered over casually. Jack followed, floating over on a gentle draught.

"Hey guys! Great party, huh?" Hiccup said, squeezing into the seat beside Fishlegs and Astrid. Everyone except Fishlegs greeted him back, as his nose was plastered in the book.

"Hey Hiccup. Where have you been?" Astrid asked, ignoring Snotlout who was still trying his best to get her attention.

"Well, I had some stuff to do." He said not so convincingly. But Astrid didn't question him further, thank Thor. She had a habit of being quite curious.

Hiccup then turned straight to Fishlegs, to get his plan underway.

"How's is it ah...going, Fishlegs?" Hiccup decided to start with small talk.

"Huh? Oh, Hiccup! I didn't see you there. Check this out!" Fishlegs moved the book so Hiccup could see the page he was reading. It was a book on botanies, and Fishlegs was reading a chapter dedicated to plants that had different effects on dragons.

"They say there's a lily on Icy Island that makes dragons fall in love! How sweet would that be?" Fishlegs was saying, but Hiccup was barely listening.

"Ah, yeah sounds great. So ah, how about that weather, huh?" Hiccup continued to chat.

"Hiccup!" Jack said, not bothering to quieten his voice, of course. "Who cares about the weather, whats your plan?"

Hiccup shot him a look that seemed to say 'trust me', so Jack stayed silent, and let Hiccup do whatever weird plan was floating around in his head.

"Ah yeah...the weather's...nice?" Fishlegs replied, finding it strange that Hiccup was trying to engage in small talk with him. "What about it?"

"Well I was just thinking, its nearly the week after the third full moon of winter, but the Berk Blizzard hasn't hit yet. We sure have been lucky this year." Hiccup began saying. Jack's heart leaped. He understood now.

"Yeah, I guess we have." Now Fishlegs was just trying to get back to his book.

"You know whats really weird. Every year since Berk began the Berk Blizzard always hits on the week after the third full moon of winter. But this year its late for some reason. I wonder why...?" Hiccup continued. "Wait a second! I think I may have read something in a book I have at home that could explain this! It was a book on the Gods. It said that the God of Winter, Hodr, can also be known by another name."

"Hm? Oh! You mean Jokul Frosti. Yeah, I've read book too." Fishlegs commented. It was just like him to be so well informed. This could work better than Hiccup thought.

Jack however didn't share Hiccup's enthusiasm. He was frustrated that the people of the village actually DID believe in him, they just had his name wrong. How did he even become to be known as Jokul Frosti around here anyway? His name has always been Jack Frost.

"So ahh..." Hiccup was still trying to get Fishlegs attention. "I was looking through that same book the other day, and it looks like someone has been tampering with it."

"Tampering with it?!" Fishlegs cried, turning to him. It seemed Hiccup finally struck his interest. "You can't tamper with books! They're so...awesome!"

"Yeah. Every single time the name Hodr or Jokul Frosti appeared, it had been scribbled out with charcoal and someone had re-written in the name Jack Frost."

"Jack Frost?" There it was. Fishlegs finally said the name. Jack looked at the chubby Viking, hopeful. "I've never heard of them." Fishlegs went back to his book. Hiccup and Jack both sighed in unison.

"Anyway," Hiccup persisted. "I think it's this Jack Frost character that's been holding back Winter. I think he's some kind of Winter Spirit that is able to use his power to hold back the Berk Blizzard, and he's trying to make himself known to the village." Hiccup couldn't have said it any better. Jack only wondered if this was the right approach.

"Oh Hiccup, even I think that's absurd." Fishlegs said. "Hodr is the god of Winter. You know that."

"Then who was it that wrote in the pages of my books? It wasn't me, and Dad doesn't even touch the books in my house." Hiccup argued. "I think Jack Frost is real. Whoever he is, he could be in the room right now."

"If he was, I'm sure we'd be able to see him." Fishlegs said.

"That's what I said!" Jack groaned allowed.

"Huh?" Fishlegs looked up from his book. "What was that?"

Both Hiccup's and Jack's hopes soared. Hiccup stole a glance at him, and he was shaking with excitement. Fishlegs was still cynical, but the plan was working.

"What was what, Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked in a strangely excited tone.

"Um, nothing. I just thought I heard...nevermind." And, once again, Fishlegs' nose flew straight back into his accursed botany book.

Hiccup nearly groaned himself. "Anyway...About this theory of mine. I'm thinking this guy is one that brings Winter, but no-one can see him, so he's trying to be seen by writing his name in books."

"By writing Jack Frost?" Fishlegs asked cynically.

"Yeah! Jack Frost!" Hiccup nodded.

"Jack...Frost?"

"Jack Frost!"

Said Winter spirit was looking back and forth between the boys, the feeling of being believed in slowly rising in his chest.

"Hmm...I will look into it." Fishlegs said. They had finally peaked his interest. "It does sound...plausible. But right now I just want to get back to Botanic Brands of Berk."

Hiccup sighed once more. He thought maybe they should give up. But Jack wanted to try something. He could feel it, deep down in his core, that something had changed. As if a tiny light was glowing. One that wasn't glowing before.

Jack crouched on the table right in eye-line of Fishlegs. He grabbed the book his face was stuck in, and his hand didn't pass through it. It was solid, he could touch it. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He pulled the book down away from Fishlegs, and the chubby academic froze on the spot. His eyes were revealed from behind the book, and they widened as they looked right at Jack.

Hiccup looked on, gaping.

"Hey there. My name's Jack." Jack said in the friendliest voice he could muster.

Fishlegs screamed and shot up out of his chair, throwing the book in his hands half way across the room, before running like a spooked rabbit out of the dinner hall.

"YES!" Jack exclaimed, spinning in the air, before flying at top speed out of the dining hall after Fishlegs, leaving a bellowing draught in his wake.

The rest of the riders of Berk watched him go, stunned, wondering what had caused him to scream as if he had just seen the Red Death, and where that sudden updraught had come from.

Hiccup tried his best to resist punching the air in joy. "Ahh...I'd better go see what's up. Hehe..." Hiccup then left the gaping table of teens, and the rest of the murmuring dining hall of Vikings, and ran out after Fishlegs.

As soon as he stepped outside he was attacked by a happy winter spirit, who enveloped him in his arms for the third time since they met, and spinning in the air.

"Thankyou! Thankyou Hiccup!" Jack was shouting.

"Can't...Breathe..." Hiccup gasped.

"Oops, hehe, sorry." Jack set him down, and he took a gasp of air.

"Anyway! Where did Fishlegs go? We have to find him before he does anything rash!" Hiccup said.

"He went this way." Jack gestured down a road that was littered with stubby foot prints in the light layer of snow.

"Okay! Let's go!" Hiccup said, and started running. But Jack was too excited, and grabbed Hiccup around the waist, speeding down the path on a wind current.

"I didn't mean that!" Hiccup shouted in vain up at the hyperactive snow man.

They arrived in no time and saw Fishlegs in his dragon shed, talking to Meatlug.

"It's okay Meatlug. Daddy's just going a little crazy is all...Hehe..." He was saying.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup shouted to him. But he merely squeaked and retreated further into the shed.

"Hey! Don't hide! It's just Jack Frost." Hiccup said.

"So..." They heard him whimper from the shadows. "So all that stuff you were saying at the hall was just to get me to be able to see him?!"

"Well we had to do it somehow. You seemed like you'd be easier to convince than the others." Hiccup said, no offense intended.

"Ahh, thank you for your concern," Fishlegs started. "But I make a note to stay away from power crazy Norse Gods. I'll just stay out of your way. Okay? Okay."

Jack rolled his eyes and wandered into the dragon shed, walking straight passed Meatlug, who didn't seem to notice him.

"Hey, don't be a scaredy-cat okay? I'm not gonna hurt you." He said in a soothing voice. Finally Fishlegs decided to climb out of the dragon shed.

"Okay. So this is the weirdest night of my life so far. There's a magical ice god that only me and Hiccup can see..." Fishlegs moaned.

"I'm not a god okay! I'm just a guy who can't die and has the ability to conjure devastating blizzards at will." Jack said. Hiccup simply gave him a cynical look, obviously wondering how saying that would help their situation. Jack shrugged.

And so both Hiccup and Jack explained everything to Fishlegs, including Jack's past, and their deal to hold back winter long enough to gather food, in exchange for Hiccup's help in making the village believe in Jack. Gradually Fishlegs relaxed more and more, until finally he became accustomed to Jack's presence.

"Okay, okay. I get it. But why would you choose me for this job? I'm usually the useless one..." Fishlegs said, getting defensive.

"Hey, if anyone's the useless one, it's me." Hiccup said. "Besides, the other's would have just thought I was going crazy, and taken me to my father in a straight jacket. You've got a much bigger imagination."

"Well, that's true." Fishlegs said, proud. "So, how do you plan on getting them to see Jack then? I don't see how I can be of much use."

"It's a start isn't it?" Jack said. "I'm not exactly sure what this means, since no-one has ever believes in me before, but ever since I met Hiccup, and just now when I got to meet you, I feel like there's more power in me." He gripped his chest, crunching the fabric of his shirt in his fist. "Almost as if deep inside a fire has started burning. And it feels great! I feel like I could hold back Winter for a thousand years with this power!"

"It must be powered by our belief in you!" Hiccup said. "This is perfect. This means the more people we get to believe in Jack, the longer we'll have to gather food for Winter. Our village isn't going to starve!"

"Then we'd better come up with a plan to get that bunch of numbskulls to see Jack." Fishlegs pointed out.

"Yeah..." Hiccup said, already lost in thought. Then he snapped back. "Hey, don't call Astrid a numbskull!" Hiccup said. Jack gave him a nudge to his side, and he blushed briefly.

"Just remember Hiccup, no matter how many people believe in me, I won't be able to hold back Winter any longer than a month exactly." Jack said, pointing a finger at Hiccup.

"Oh, don't be so modest." Hiccup shrugged. "You're already crazy powerful as it is. Imagine how powerful you'll be once we get the whole village seeing you!"

"No, that's not it, Hiccup!" Jack said. "If I don't bring Winter after 4 weeks from now, something terrible will happen."

But Hiccup and Fishlegs were no longer listening. They were already hatching a plan to get the other riders to believe in a magic being they couldn't see or hear or feel.

Jack sighed. He never listened.

"Jack!" Hiccup was shouting. "C'mon, we gotta get back to the dining hall!" Jack snapped out of his thoughts. Hiccup was waving to him from down the path they had come from. Fishlegs was behind him, also waving. Waving to him. People were waving at him. Acknowledging him. He was still finding it difficult to believe.

'Oh well...' Jack thought. 'Hiccup will definitely gather enough food before a month passes. Then I'll bring Winter, and he'll never even have to know about that. Everyone in the village will believe in me. Maybe eventually everyone in the world.'

Jack couldn't contain his excitement. He flew over to Hiccup and Fishlegs and the three of them headed back to the hall together.


End file.
